Survivors
by girlgonemadd
Summary: Surviving the future. Slash McKaySheppard


Disclaimers: Not mine  
Spoilers: The Siege Warnings: AU, future fic, time travel, H/C, angst, slash  
Summary: Surviving the future.  
A/N: Thanks to ShadowSprite, WolfNJag, CMOLauretta, and Aeriejm for taking the time to help beta this story.

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Everyone they knew was gone.

Atlantis.

Earth.

Dead, Sheppard reminded himself bitterly as he laid in what passed as a bed. They were all dead.

The wind howled across the valley floor, driving dust and debris into the shelter. Small, weak tornadoes of refuse swirled in the corners. The tiny specks of dirt catching the sunlight, reflecting it in minute flashes. Sheppard watched the dancing flickers of reflected light, it kept his attention focused, but even then his mind would wander to the past.

_"We've got a serious problem." McKay's voice was tight with anxiety as it came over the radio. "The ZedPM is no longer working." _

"Has it been damaged?" Weir asked, her unease mounting as she looked over at an equally concerned Sheppard.

"No. It's been sabotaged along with the naquada generators. All systems are down, including power to the Stargate."

Sheppard felt an ice-cold chill race through his body. "With the Daedalus not scheduled to return for another ten days and all our systems out, it would be the perfect time for an attack."

He blinked at the late afternoon light that flitted in between the slats of the run-down hut. Calling it a hut was being generous; it was more like a lean-to ready to topple over. They'd found it on the outskirts of the ruins of a once great city on a planet orbiting the backside of nowhere. By this time of day, McKay would have spent several hours exploring the mysteries of what was left of the old city, long decimated by the Wraith.

Everything had been decimated by the Wraith.

The sun passed behind a fleeting cloud and the nightmare began again.

_Less than an hour later, the attack began. _

" -peat, there are at least five Hive Ships - no make that eight Hive Ships entering into orbit!" Stackhouse's transmission was filled with static. He had been on a run to the mainland when the power had been cut, stranding the rest of the Puddle Jumpers in the bay.

"Rodney?" Weir's voice shook at the news. How would they ever fight off eight Hive Ships?

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth." There was a quiet sadness in those words. Already the sounds of Darts and gunfire could be heard throughout the city. The man who prided himself on being the 'answer man' was without a rabbit to pull out of his hat this time around. "I may be able to cause an overload in one of the naquada generators that would take out the city or use the power from a Puddle Jumper to open the bay doors to get a few people out." The sound of gunfire close by could be heard. "I doubt there will be a chance to do both."

"There are no other options?"

"No. I'm sorry."

Despite having fought off the Wraith twice since their arrival in the Pegasus Galaxy, the third attack had been different; it had been a hopeless battle from the beginning. The starving monsters had attacked in such overwhelming numbers that they blotted out the sun, plunging Atlantis into a never-ending darkness.

_Screams could be heard over the shrill noise of the Darts and the concussive blasts of weapons as the nightmare of reality materialized around Sheppard. Pain raced up his leg and through his body when he tried moving, the result of an explosion that had taken out the bulkhead door to the Control Room. Turning, he could only watch in horror as the Wraith didn't stun their prey, but instead fed upon them with the rabid intensity of starving animals. _

A shadow fell over Sheppard and he stared up into the salivating face of a familiar looking Wraith. This one looked exactly like the first Wraith they had captured so long ago, the one he had named Steve.

"This is the one." It hissed, saliva dripping from it's mouth.

"Ever try a breath mint?"

The Steve clone snarled, picking him up easily with one hand. Hot tendrils of agony shot out from his leg wound and he felt the scream ripped out of his lungs. The world spun around then dropped and he hit something hard and unyielding. Only when the pain receded a fraction did he realize he'd been dumped on the floor.

" - won't tell you anything!"

Sheppard opened his eyes in time to see the redheaded Wraith laugh as it held Weir, who struggled in vain.

"You will not tell me what I want to know; I shall take what I want to know."

It was a replay of what had happened on the Wraith Hive ship so long ago with Col. Sumner, as the creature bore into Weir's mind. A sheen of sweat broke out on Weir's face as she fought against the mental rape.

"NO!" Sheppard tried to move but the Steve clone shoved him back to the floor.

"Does it hurt to watch her mind being ripped apart as every hidden secret is torn from her memories?" The Steve clone hissed in delight. "We will have the location of the new feeding grounds and take our fill. No one can stop us!"

Weir screamed, body writhing, eyes rolling to the back of her head.

The redheaded Wraith laughed mirthlessly. "Such delightfully sweet secrets."

"No! No!" Sheppard's attempts to move were in vain as he was bodily slammed back down.

The redheaded Wraith turned to him, a look of exquisite rapture on her face. "Do not avert your eyes. This is the fate of your people." She then slammed her hand into Weir's chest and before Sheppard's eyes, Weir aged into an old woman.

"Stop it! Stop!"

Weir's eyes never left his even as they grew cloudy and then white, nor when silent screams tried to make themselves heard from a throat too damaged to produce sound. Seconds later, all that had been Dr. Elizabeth Weir was now a dried out corpse that was discarded like trash.

"You bitch!" Sheppard screamed.

The female Wraith merely laughed at him, moving to him to trace a long fingernail down his throat. "This is merely the beginning for you, Lantian. You will assist the Wraith in becoming the most formidable species in the universe."

"I'll never help you!"

"Your cooperation isn't required, merely your blood."

Sheppard stared into the eyes of hell, realizing the Wraith were after someone with the ATA gene who could access the Ancient's technology.

"Take him to the holding cell and make certain he is not touched!" The Wraith female snarled at the Steve clone.

Another explosion rocked the city and as darkness descended on Sheppard once more, he desperately hoped his body was destroyed in the fire.

The sunlight came out again to cast the hut into layers of light and darkness.

The last explosion had been McKay creating a diversion to pull Sheppard to the Jumper and access the gate he'd managed to power up. The attempt to set the self-destruct had been thwarted by several dozen Wraith drones and the two men had barely made it through the gate with their lives.

After the fall of Atlantis, McKay had kept them moving from planet to planet, scarcely one step ahead of the Wraith. The first two weeks were a blur to Sheppard as he had been wrapped in fever-induced hallucinations from the infection that had settled into his wounds.

Sheppard ran one hand down his body to trace the leg wound that had healed slowly and left behind a horrible scar and a persistent limp. It was a constant reminder of all he'd lost.

The door to the hut opened as McKay stepped in, dust billowing in after him. From behind the long, stringy hair, blue eyes sought Sheppard out and registered the fact he was still in bed with little surprise.

It was an unspoken understanding between them, that Sheppard preferred the shadows of night to the harsh brightness of day. Shoulders hunched, McKay walked across the small room to the single cabinet, carefully stowing away his tools. He then went to their backpacks and pulled out two sets of clean clothes and some toiletries.

"Let's get cleaned up."

Sheppard slipped out of bed and took the offered items, limping after McKay's slow shuffle around to the side of the hut. Again one hand ghosted over the scar on his leg until a strong hand gripped his and slowly led Sheppard towards the make-shift shower. The same strong hands that had trembled, time and again, as they picked through the pockets of the dead on any number of ravaged worlds, searching for anything useful. Of the frightfully few races they did encounter, McKay traded his skills and knowledge for food, supplies and medical attention.

Their uniforms had been discarded the same time they blew up the Jumper in an attempt to make the Wraith believe they'd been killed. Since that time, the pursuit had been called off. Either the Wraith were called away to more pressing matters, or they believed the pair had died.

The large stone slab was warm after basking in the rays of the sun all day and both men basked in the heat as they stripped from their meager clothing. Together, they moved beneath the water tower that McKay had set up upon their arrival. It was a gift from the Lavikites. McKay had saved an elder from certain death by solving an age-old riddle, and in return the Lavikites had been generous in their offerings. They were a nomadic race who dwelled on a desert continent and had developed a series of portable water towers to attract and retain whatever moisture was in the air. On a planet with abundant water such as this one, it meant the tower was almost always full, rendering trips to the river two miles away unnecessary.

McKay reached one hand towards the rope, and with the other pulled Sheppard towards him so they were standing beneath a flow of sun-warmed water for several seconds. Body against body, McKay's hand grasped Sheppard's hip as his callused thumb moved over wet skin and his lips brushed over a sensitive neck. A flaccid penis against Sheppard's thigh, however, gave proof the scientist was exhausted. Making short work of scrubbing them both clean, McKay doused them again with water then quickly dried them both off.

Their evening routine was well established, varying little from day to day. McKay would come back to the hut after spending hours poking and prodding in the city ruins, and then they would shower, eat, and turn in for the night. Conversations had stopped a long time ago. It had become too much of an effort for Sheppard, so he wasn't sure, nor did he really care, what had kept them at this place for so long as opposed to any of a hundred other places they'd taken refuge in.

That night, as he held McKay's sleeping form close to him, Sheppard felt the same thoughts chase around his head. There were frequent thoughts of ending his life, thoughts of passing blissfully into oblivion, but one look at those crooked lips or blue eyes and he knew he could never, ever leave McKay to face this life alone. McKay deserved better than that.

Sheppard wondered if he should try and persuade McKay to stay on with the Lavikites. Their world was harsh, but it provided them a measure of protection against the Wraith and the people were genuinely friendly. Direous, their leader, had offered them a place among his people should they ever need it, and Sheppard knew at least a few of the women had taken an interest in McKay. McKay could take a wife, start a family, and live his life instead of wasting away while chasing after the shadows of a life that had been turned to dust.

Though McKay's nightmares had stopped some time ago, Sheppard still kept watch over his friend as he slept. Those nightmares had been glimpses into what McKay had gone through during the loss of Atlantis. Many revolved around Zelenka, who had stepped in front of a Wraith and died as he was fed upon, giving his life so McKay could get away. Some nightmares included the return of the dead who always blamed McKay for not saving them all. Lately, however, when McKay had nightmares, he refused to talk about them. Instead, he held Sheppard tightly or spent the rest of the night thrusting into Sheppard's body, trying to drive the images away.

It was important to Sheppard to remain vigilant against McKay's demons that lived in the shadows of the night. His own demons, however, preferred to find him in the light of day.

-----------------

Sheppard loathed traveling to the Dunn home world. Predatorial scavengers at best, the Dunn traded with those stronger than them and stole from everyone else. Though their methods for attaining supplies were often illicit, it meant the Dunn had equipment McKay often needed. It required careful negotiation and a certain show of power that Sheppard was always careful to display on these trips.

"Our trade agreement is once again profitable, friend." Horen offered a filthy, toothless grin at them. Despite appearances, Horen was one of the more powerful traders in the area, calculating and shrewd. "But one might wonder why you would be in need of such a specific power source?" One hand motioned to the small, flat, gray box.

"One might." McKay spoke tightly. "If one didn't wish to continue a profitable relationship." His actions were deliberate and measured as he carefully wrapped the gray box and placed it within his backpack.

For a moment tension filled the dimly lit room as Horen glared contemptuously over a filthy mug. Feeling the unease increase, Sheppard cast a wary eye around the room. Something was off about this visit; something was wrong, though he had nothing more than a flicker of intuition to guide him. The heavy weight of the energy rifle rested easily in his steady grip, his body tingling with anticipated action. The weapon had been part of a hard earned trade from a race whose name and details blended together with the numerous other races Sheppard had encountered during his time in the Pegasus Galaxy.

Horen's sudden bark of laughter barely made McKay flinch. "You are right, as usual, friend. Until our next encounter." The Dunn's predacious smirk only added to Sheppard's wariness.

Making their way to the door, Sheppard caught sight of a flash of light off a blade and a quick moving body. Without thought, he pushed McKay out of the way and fired, the sound of the energy rifle's discharge loud in the abruptly quiet room.

As the smoke cleared over the dead body still gripping the jagged edged knife, Sheppard glanced at the crowd around them. "Would anyone else like to try?" The ice cold look and proficient handling of the energy rifle made everyone back away.

"That's one of Chivett's men." Horen's voice carried easily as the crowd parted at his approach, drink still in hand. "He grows bolder by the day, and reckless as he tests the strength of those around him. I assure you, this act will be met with retribution." he informed McKay and Sheppard.

Following them outside, Horen turned toward McKay and motioned over to Sheppard, the setting sun exposing a flicker of appreciation in a lingering, dark gaze. "He is an excellent shot. Is he bound to you?"

It was the Dunn term for indentured servant or slave. The Dunn were not above exploiting people and information along with material goods for their own profit. Being vague was almost as important here as carrying a powerful weapon.

"Goodbye, Horen." McKay's voice grated, hand on the butt of a sharp, short knife. It wasn't as fancy as the one the henchman had pulled on McKay, but it could get the job done just the same.

"Listen, friend." Horen's greasy smile and nervous twitch made Sheppard on edge. "We've been trading for some time now and I don't even know your name."

"Let's not ruin a good thing."

It was a threat and after looking from McKay to Sheppard and back, Horen decided not to pursue it any further. "Of course. Goodbye, friend."

Sheppard was aware of the eyes that followed them out of town and to the 'gate and made certain his limp wasn't noticeable. It only spoke to McKay's very real paranoia that he dialed two different gate addresses before they returned to the decrepit hut with a view of a decaying city.

Stowing away the weapons beneath the floor boards, Sheppard stood to find McKay standing hunched over the table, staring unseeing at the generator he'd brought back. Dark images flitted through the blue eyes, hints of shadows and horrors that were normally kept contained, now rushed to the surface.

Sheppard knew McKay had seen Zelenka sacrifice himself to save McKay, but whatever other horrors McKay had experienced during the fall of Atlantis, the scientist kept to himself.

Reaching for his friend, Sheppard drew him close and shut his eyes against the image of the henchman lunging at McKay with every intent to kill him. Though his training had kept him alert for an attack and he'd quickly and easily dispatched the would-be assailant, it had been a long time since he'd had to use those skills.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, John. I didn't mean for that to happen. I didn't mean for you to have to - "

Take another life. "Shhh. I'm a soldier, Rodney. It's part of the job." And a decision he would easily make again if it meant keeping McKay alive. His grip on the scientist turned possessive.

When a hot mouth skimmed over his neck, Sheppard relaxed into the touch and turned to allow McKay access. Sharp teeth nipped and bit, sending a warm, familiar rush of tingles along Sheppard's skin. McKay was all that was left of a world that existed only in memory, and Sheppard would not deny him anything - including the physical intimacy the scientist occasionally sought.

Hands trembling in the aftermath of a near death experience and from desire, reached under Sheppard's shirt to glide over heated skin. When a finger flicked across a sensitive nipple, Sheppard moaned into a wet, sloppy kiss. McKay quickly divested them of their clothing and backed Sheppard to the bed, hands greedily taking in all the exposed skin. Parting to take in air, Sheppard moved to crawl onto the bed on all fours when a hand stopped him. Turning, it was difficult to look into eyes that guarded so much emotion.

"I want to see your face."

The request, though rare, was something that Sheppard didn't deny McKay, but would also never offer. It was easier to keep an emotional distance when he wasn't faced with the raw intensity contained in that revealing gaze.

Without a word, Sheppard laid back on the bed and quivered at the studious manner in which McKay looked him over, as if the scientist had come across a fascinating alien artifact. Fingers that had danced across equipment with the dexterity of a pianist now played across Sheppard's skin with the same conviction. Those fingers, skimming and caressing his face, were replaced with lips as those talented hands reached down lower to his chest and expertly brought sensitive nipples to a rise.

Sheppard couldn't help bucking up, his now thick cock seeking any stimulation it could get. But McKay was careful to avoid contact there and continued his slow explorations. Once again, McKay's lips followed his hands and his tongue laved over those nipples before he blew gently, eliciting a hard-won moan from Sheppard. Strong hands held down slim hips as Sheppard writhed and shuddered beneath the scientist. It was too much sensation, too much emotion, and Sheppard was certain his heart would burst at any moment.

"Rodney!" Sheppard nearly bucked them both off the bed when McKay's tongue found it's way to his bellybutton and fucked it meticulously. "Jesus! Rodney!" When all contact was withdrawn, Sheppard opened his eyes, dazed and confused.

Panting, McKay kneeled above him, dark eyes roaming over the lithe body with intense lust and a hint of admiration. "You're so fucking beautiful."

"No." The instant denial bubbled up but emerged as little more than a hoarse whisper when a hand encircled his hard dick and began stroking. Intense blue eyes held his as McKay increased his speed as he jacked Sheppard off with a hard and familiar hand.

A roar erupted from Sheppard as all thought evaporated in the explosion of white sound as he came. When his senses returned, a hot, determined mouth was licking the sweat from his neck.

"Yes." McKay's low, husky tone sent an involuntary shiver through Sheppard and he realized that McKay was slowly rocking two come-slicked fingers into his ass. Sheppard's cock twitched almost painfully in renewed interest and grew semi-hard when those fingers found his prostate.

"Ready, ready!" Impossible as it seemed, Sheppard felt the tingles returning, felt his body responding to the invasion. "Now, Rodney!"

A hiss escaped his lips as the fingers slid from his ass, leaving an aching need behind. Breath fast and loud, Sheppard watched with a hazy air of lust as McKay dipped his fingers into the come cooling on Sheppard's stomach and used it to lubricate his own cock. Careful hands then maneuvered Sheppard's legs up onto broad shoulders and Sheppard felt the blunt tip of McKay's thick cock at his ass. The head pushed passed the outer ring of muscle and Sheppard felt the familiar fullness breaching his body.

"Move!" It was a plea as much as a demand, and Sheppard felt his eyes roll back as McKay pushed all the way inside.

"So tight, so perfect," McKay babbled and Sheppard could feel him shaking, could feel the cock deep inside of him pulsing. Then McKay began to thrust, slow and steady, in a rhythm that found Sheppard's prostate and brushed against it on each withdrawal.

"John." The broken word on McKay's lips forced Sheppard to look up into eyes that reminded him of home. A hand enshrouded Sheppard's cock and he cried out, surprised at how hard he was as he came once again.

In the distance, Sheppard heard his name cried out as McKay strained and reached his own climax. Darkness descended quickly, and Sheppard's last thoughts were how welcome McKay's weight was pressing down on him.

---------------

Three weeks later, Sheppard lay in bed watching bits and pieces of dust float in and out of the shafts of light pouring into the hut, pondering the universal reproductive abilities of dust bunnies as he tried to keep at bay darker thoughts.

Sometimes Sheppard wondered if life on Earth and Atlantis had been a dream. Perhaps he and McKay had always been traveling from planet to planet like gypsies with no home to call their own. Perhaps the memories of times on Earth and Atlantis were nothing more than a vivid dream gone terribly, terribly wrong.

The door burst open and Sheppard jumped, pulling the knife from under the bed before recognizing the figure as that of McKay. Though smudged with dirt, a huge smile crossed the man's face.

"It works! John! The interface connections were nearly impossible under these conditions and given the age of the - "

"Rodney." Sheppard carefully sheathed the knife and got to his feet, disturbed by this change in schedule and unable to follow McKay's rantings. "What are you talking about?"

"What? Of course, yes, yes, you don't know! The reason we came here to begin with was because I'd gotten a lead about an Ancient device. As we know both from our experience with the alternate timeline Dr. Weir and from the records from the SGC, the Ancients were experimenting with time travel."

Sheppard felt himself wince at the mention of Dr. Weir, memories of how she'd died hitting him hard.

"Stop it!" McKay's sharp tone got his attention. "It wasn't your fault! And if you would just listen to me for once and let me finish, you'll understand how important this is! I've been following leads to a prototype time machine the Ancients had been working on and I finally found it here, underneath the city ruins. What was lacking was a power source, and it's taken me this long, but I've finally got it working."

A time machine. The ramifications were terrifying and Sheppard found himself shaking, covered in a cold sweat. The idea of walking the same halls and meeting all the people he'd seen die such horrific deaths was unimaginable.

"No."

"No? Do you have any idea of what this means? We could go back and warn - "

"Warn our earlier selves that we were handed over to the Wraith by a traitor? Do you remember what happened with the Athosians, Rodney? No one would be exempt from suspicion and the Wraith would still end up winning when everyone turned on each other."

McKay shook his head, face growing dark in anger. "I'm supposed to be the pessimistic one, not you! You don't want to go back because it won't change our memories of the past, we'll still remember everything that happened, and you'll have to walk the same halls that - "

"Stop it!"

"I won't!" McKay shouted furiously. "Radek gave his life for me because he thought I could find a way, any way, to stop the Wraith! I won't let his death or the death of everyone else be for nothing! You can waste away on that damn bed until the local star goes nova for all I care!" He stepped closer, getting into Sheppard's personal space. "I will go back and save them!"

"What makes you think I'll let you?" Sheppard demanded, knowing he could easily restrain McKay long enough to find this device and destroy it.

For a long moment those blue eyes gazed at him with a steady determination that had seen them through so many bad situations since they'd escape the dying city of Atlantis. "You won't stop me because you know I'd never forgive - "

McKay was cut off as the sound of the gate activating resonated through the valley.

"Damn it!" Sheppard quickly tossed back the floor boards and pulled out their small stash of equipment and weapons. Rushing outside, he pulled out the binoculars and nearly groaned. "It's Horen! He must have found a way to track us - "

"The power source!" McKay cried out and turned to head towards the city.

"Where the hell are you going?" Sheppard hissed, catching McKay's shoulder and spinning the scientist around.

"Horen must have a tracking device on the power source, he'll head straight there and to the time machine! We have to get there before he does." McKay jerked away and ran down the trail to the ruins.

"Damn it all to hell!" Sheppard raced after him.

--------------

Deep beneath the city ruins, the tunnel walls shook under the force of the battle as Sheppard brought up the rear, returning the enemy's fire as McKay lead them to the hidden lab.

"How much further?"

"It's just up ahead!" McKay stopped at a door, palming the access and jumping in to avoid another spray of gunfire.

Sheppard let out a burst from his energy rifle and dove in, springing up to palm the door closed. Stepping back, a well placed shot destroyed the access control to the door.

"That should keep them - " His foot encountered something soft and Sheppard spun around to find McKay crumpled on the floor. Blood was pooling quickly next to him. "NO!" Dropping to the floor, Sheppard carefully turned McKay over to reveal a gaping wound in his chest. "No! No! Don't you dare do this to me!"

Scrambling out of his shirt, Sheppard applied it to the wound. "Rodney! Rodney! Don't you do this, don't you dare!"

The sound of pounding filled the room as the door shook from the attack on the other side. Horen's men were determined to get through and the walls of the room creaked and shifted under the assault. Sheppard leaned over McKay to keep the dirt from falling on him and into the wound.

"John."

"Rodney?" Heart beating wildly, Sheppard gazed down into slightly unfocused blue eyes.

"You have to activate the time machine, you have to go back and warn the others." Each breath was accompanied by a horrible wheezing as one trembling hand reached up to point to a long, oval device in the center of what looked like an Ancient lab. "Turn it on, think of Atlantis before the attack."

The sting of something hot and painful burned Sheppard's eyes as his body shook with horror. Amazement crossed McKay's face as he reached up and touched Sheppard's cheek, withdrawing wet fingers. It took a moment for Sheppard to realize they were tears. Tears he hadn't been able to shed for those that had been lost before. Tears that had evaporated along with his world. Tears that pounded at the walls he'd so carefully created to keep any emotions from surfacing.

The door behind them groaned in protest under the attacking barrage. It wouldn't hold for more than a minute or two at best. Sheppard found himself moving, slipping his arms under McKay's shoulders and swearing when he heard the moan of pain. Quickly, he slid the nearly unconscious man next to the time machine and gently set him down.

Switching on the generator hooked up to the Ancient machine, Sheppard watched as it began to glow as power built up. The screech of metal made him turn to see the door cracking under the weight of the attack and Sheppard threw himself over McKay as it finally exploded into the room.

"Ah, there you are, friends." Horen's laughter proceeded him into the room, his smile stretched thin over his fleshy face.

Sheppard sat up, glaring at the man and the several well-armed mercenaries that entered and surrounded them. "How - "

"It was only a matter of time, given the tracking device I installed on the power generator, before we discovered the correct address." Horen was practically gleeful as his eyes danced around the room at all the technology before landing on the time device. "You've put me through a lot of trouble tracking you down. You better hope the devices in here are worth my time."

The time machine powered up suddenly.

"John."

McKay's voice cracked and Sheppard found himself breathless at the sight of desperation in fading blue eyes as they pleaded with him.

Sheppard turned to Horen and sneered. "Go to hell." He closed his eyes and concentrated just as several of the mercenaries fired. A ball of white energy consumed him and was followed by nothing.

---------------

Blinking away cobwebs from his mind, Sheppard found himself looking up at a vaguely familiar ceiling. Memories and dreams swirled around for several moments, clashing and conflicting in a mayhem of confusion. He sat up to find his room on Atlantis as it always was, orderly and sparsely decorated. A tattered copy of War and Peace lay on the night stand.

It had to have been a bad dream. Sheppard had read the SGC reports. The time machine would have moved them across time but not distance. He moved one hand down to find the old leg wound was gone as if it never existed. They should still be on the planet, not on Atlantis and certainly not in their younger bodies.

Had it been nothing more than a nightmare?

Visions of McKay covered in blood made Sheppard bolt to his feet, the taste and feel of copper still fresh to his senses. A look around the room showed Sheppard was alone, and the major rushed out, startling several people in his dash down the hall. Thinking the door to McKay's quarter's open, he slid in and stopped abruptly, finding the scientist sitting up in bed, dressed only in boxers, while staring at a laptop.

As his panicked breathing filled the air, Sheppard's eyes roamed over McKay's chest, finding no trace of a mortal wound. In fact, there wasn't even so much as a scratch on the bare skin.

Had it been a dream?

McKay looked up at him, shock and uncertainty etched clearly on that pale, expressive face.

"Was it real? Did it happen?"

Sheppard nodded, moving closer as cold hands reached out and touched warm skin, running over the area the chest wound had been just moments before. There had been so much blood everywhere.

"John?"

"How? How? You were dying!" Sheppard felt his chest tighten as hysteria threatened to bubble up in his body. Strong arms encircled him, drew him down into a warm bed and held him close against a miraculously living, breathing body.

"It's possible the weapons fired at us hit the time machine and caused it to malfunction, creating - " McKay stopped himself, taking a shuddering breath as one hand motioned to the nearby laptop. "We've traveled back a year before the last Wraith attack. We have a year to find out - " McKay stopped again when he felt something wet soaking into his shirt. He moved back, staring in stunned amazement into Sheppard's face. "You're crying."

Sheppard stilled himself against the body that had made love to him so many times, gazing into those vivid blue eyes. "I thought I'd lost you." The words were choked out through the maelstrom of so many crushing emotions.

Fingers reached out to the short hair at the back of McKay's neck, traced around perfect earlobes, then cupped the strong jaw. "I need to know you're real." Sheppard needed proof this was real, that McKay wasn't dead. How they had gotten here, he really didn't care, as the universe turned on its side at the epiphany he'd only just discovered. "Need you," he told McKay as he feverishly divested them of what little clothing they wore. And for once, Sheppard allowed the sensations and desires to sweep him away as they moved together.

Much later, as the body of his lover responded to each thrust and every withdrawal, the litany of need changed to confessions of emotion. It was the same emotion Sheppard had seen hidden behind those blue eyes for so long but had refused to acknowledge.

"Love you too, John. Won't leave you." McKay cried out.

"Together." Sheppard whispered, realizing this was what McKay had felt all the time they were on the run from the Wraith. This need to connect, this heady desire to open up and be with someone.

And as Sheppard felt McKay's climax that caused the scientist's body to spasm around his cock, Sheppard flew into orgasmic bliss knowing that together, they just might survive the future.

---end


End file.
